Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson Review (PC) – Leaving Me Fretless

Do you know what would make Final Fantasy VII better? Shredding guitar riffs, techno synth crescendos and heavy bass beats of course. I jest, Final Fantasy VII is pretty alright as-is. However, Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson makes a compelling case that all turn-based RPGs should have some kind of harmonic acoustic guitar melody to accompany them.

From the mind of Ritual Studios, this title tasks you with learning mighty riffs to take down the megalomanic Super Metal Records company in a truly historic Battle of the Bands. Can it successfully blend classic turn-based RPG action with School of Rock charm? Get those finger digits nimble and slap on your capo, it’s time to rock out and shred some bad guys.

Where’d You Learn That Riff, Son?

You are Rob, a local lad from Harmony Heights who harbours a big love of guitars and equally huge dreams of hitting the big time. Upon seeing the Battle of the Bands advertised, he has no choice but to seek glory with nothing but his 6-string and… monster slaying prowess. Naturally, Super Metal Records (SMR), who host said event, are utterly magnanimous and not at all evil in their desire to enslave and control all things great music.

So begins Rob’s journey to reach the Battle of the Bands, as he travels through a handful of regions and locations to show he’s the greatest to ever pick up a synth recorder. As you might expect, Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson is entirely tongue-in-cheek and playful with its predictable yet smile-inducing story. SMR are cartoonishly evil, though their depiction certainly isn’t without merit and evidence from what we know the music label industry to be like.

Rob is carefree, smiling and bopping his way through every terrible instance that befalls him. It’s a classic good guy vs bad guy setup, with charming NPCs to interact with and a plethora of playful video game references thrown in for good measure. Sometimes, predictable and fun is all you need, and Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson is gleefully both of those without apology.

Home Is Where The Bass Is

You might think that conquering a Battle of the Bands tournament would simply involve playing classic rock tunes like I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll or Hound Dog while mashing guitar strings akin to Jimi Hendrix. You’d be wrong. Being a rock star ain’t all Elvis hair-dos and star-studded tours. No, in Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson, you’ve got to dismantle humans and monsters alike with your musical moshing.

Rob gains access to four instruments (weapons), each with their own unique playstyles and riffs (attacks or moves). Instruments are upgraded through acquiring attachable items like capos or strings, while riffs can be improved using materials found in the world. Don’t forget peddles too, as they offer Rob unique bonus conditions that boost his combat prowess.

Personally, I fell in love with the Synth Recorder. It’s a buff and debuff demon, allowing me to stack multiple effects on enemies before unleashing all kinds of crazy chain-combos. However, the ability to switch out weapons on the fly, while also tinkering with what riffs you equip, provides a significant amount of variety. I liked the Acoustic and Bass guitar playstyles, less so the 8-string. But in terms of a combat sandbox, Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson was surprisingly impressive.

Coming Over The Hill, Is It A Monster?!

Each of the game’s regions has a distinct visual flair and its own set of enemies to overcome. While they’re nothing spectacularly new within the turn-based RPG space, they have enough distinct movesets to keep you on your toes. Combat involves Rob lining up up to three moves at a time, and when executed, there’ll be a QTE to input X to buff damage or to nullify the opponent’s attacks.

Most of the mobs are fairly manageable, especially if you have a fairly good setup and hit the QTEs. Multiple main and optional bosses’ll press your competencies a fair bit more, though. Various stages, ability to buff themselves hugely, calling in reinforcements, there’s a lot to think about. I enjoyed the combat system a lot, especially planning out how to execute my combos across multiple enemies with efficiency.

As mentioned before, each weapon has a unique mechanic, like the Bass guitar’s “slap” system, or the Synth Recorder’s “frequency”, whereby building up the meter activates up to three effects on each turn. Then there’s the Crescendo moves, used by both Rob and particular bosses. You’ll engage in a short rhythm game sequence, and successful QTE inputs dish out huge damage or completely negate an incoming assault. They’re awesome spectacles and complement the gameplay and style wonderfully.

Riff From Desire

In fact, my only real issues with Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson are the difficulty and gameplay systems outside of combat. While learning to play actual guitar proved inordinately troublesome for me, Fretless is a remarkably easy game to plough through. The only opponent to fell me at all was the very final boss, so some difficulty options may have been beneficial to keep the stakes more engaging. If you know what you’re doing with builds and upgrades, it’s a relative cakewalk.

Then there’s everything you do outside of taking turns swinging instruments at each other. Largely, that’s very little. Either you’ll be running from one zone to the next, acquiring a couple of times or finding easily discovered chests. Pedals and new riffs can be found through exploration, which is nice, but again, there’s little real challenge to hunting these down. Occasionally, there’s an optional sub-quest, which are short and simple.

None of this is bad, per se. Rather, it just feels underbaked and missing that extra bit of depth. Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson does have some cooler moments, like a fun spin on a Trading Card Game, or a tougher optional boss, which only made me wish there were more of those better elements. Even so, they’re not terribly detrimental by any means, and your experience may differ depending on your experience with turn-based games.

Rock Out With Your Block Out

If there’s one thing I’m going to be eating humble pie regarding this year, it’s the beauty of pixel-art graphics. Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson proves yet again why the style is so endearing. Creature designs are so creatively inspired, they might as well be pouring out of Picasso’s mind – if Picasso loved turn-based RPGs. A spider rocking speakers as back accessories, a giant snake shaped like a harp, this game has some of the most pleasing enemy concepts I’ve seen in a while.

Then there’s the in-combat effects, which are delightful in every way. The Synth wasn’t just my favourite weapon for its practical use, but for the fact that every move is accompanied by a furtive rainbow of neon streaks. Riding the recorder like a skateboard into a shredding attack? That’s metal. Don’t even get me started on the Synth’s crescendo attack, with a neon Miami backdrop complete with ’80s retro pazazz.

Each region is varied and distinct, too, lending the game a bright air and atmosphere. Rob will traverse snow-covered mountains, brooding forest thickets, serene camps filled with friendly NPCs and even a secret research facility or two. There’s so much to like about the visuals and concepts in Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson that I’m beginning to really feel my dislike of pixel-art graphics drift away like a terrible teenage fad.

(Riff)Son-41

So, should you play this bizarre amalgamation of School of Rock meets Chrono Trigger? I’d argue so. While the difficulty and exploration are maybe too simplistic or lack any real resistance, the rest of the game makes up for it with unending positivity and flair. It’s hard not to play Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson without a smile on your face matching that of Rob’s.

I’d liken it to the use of the guitar-holy 4-chords. While often so familiar due to the reliance on an established set of staples, used correctly and inventively, they become a boisterous and rivetingly good time. I doubt Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson will end up in the pantheon of great turn-based games, yet School of Rock was never considered a cinematic masterpiece either. But I suspect both will end up cult classics for their own audiences.

Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson is available July 17th on PC via Steam (review platform).

Developer: Ritual Studios
Publisher: Playdigious Originals

Disclaimer: In order to complete this review, we were provided with a promotional copy of the game. For our full review policy, please go here.

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